Sam Burns knows a thing or two about the pressure of a major championship. The 29-year-old has taken his game to a new level over the past few seasons, establishing himself as a consistent favorite to win golf’s four biggest tournaments.
At the 2026 Open on Sunday, Burns was back in contention. The American held a two-stroke lead over eventual winner Ryan Fox (his partner in the final pair of tournaments) after 54 holes.
Burns was at 10 under par when he left the 18th green on Saturday. After a fast start Sunday, he was one spot better off the second green. Unfortunately, when the final putt fell, Burns was two short and could do nothing but shake hands with Fox. Fox had an eventful final round and reached the Claret Jug with a great effort on the 72nd hole.
In theory, Barnes is doing what every player should do: gain valuable experience. And the experience is mostly worth it on its own.
Earlier in the week, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler noted Burns’ recent ability to be more consistently in contention on weekends at majors, saying, “He’s someone I spend a lot of time with. I know how good he is. Sometimes you just have to continue to get that experience and get into position. He was close at the U.S. Open last year, and he was close again at this year’s U.S. Open.”
“He’s played really good golf in a lot of big tournaments. It’s really hard to win here over and over again. Sam’s a guy who’s been knocking on the door a few times this year and hasn’t been able to get it done. But he keeps giving himself chances and keeps knocking on the door. It’s important to keep going. Sam’s a guy who’s been to the last few Ryder Cups, the last few Presidents Cups, and he’s got a lot of talent that I always see. It’s just a matter of time before he does it in this field.”
There comes a time when experience changes innocence. It’s as if the player has become a victim of his own success. Granted, Burns is playing elite-level golf against elite players, but he has yet to break through that ceiling and put himself at the elite level, where players are required to play four weeks out of the year.
Doubts can begin to materialize. What is missing? When does the ball bounce big? How can you change your fate?
Since the start of the 2024 season, Barnes has given himself five legitimate chances to win one of golf’s most prestigious trophies. In nearly 50% of those 12 tournaments, his name is on the first page of the leaderboard during key times.
Burns shot a final round 80 against Royal Troon in 2024 and retired from competition. He held the lead after 54 holes at Oakmont, but was staggered by a horrible ruling on the back nine. In 2026, Burns took another big leap forward.
Prior to his performance at the British Open, the right-hander picked up his form at Augusta National and continued to play in the Masters throughout the tournament. I hit a shot at the U.S. Open. he strike Trying to overcome a seven-stroke lead over Windham Clark, he fell woefully short, missing birdies on the 71st and 72nd holes with a final-round 67.
Everything is looking up and to the right for Barnes. This performance should theoretically accelerate that trajectory, even if all it takes is a final round of even-par golf to theoretically force a playoff.
But compare this steady run of success with the last three major championships. Fox had never finished outside the top 10 in a major before hoisting the Claret Jug. Clark has three top-20 finishes in his major career, including two wins at the U.S. Open. Aaron Rye’s best finish in a major before winning the PGA Championship was T19.
Experience is not always correct. It’s even more important to go out and seize the moment, something Burns hasn’t been able to do yet.
Of all the players in the Official World Golf Ranking’s top 20, he has the longest winless streak dating back to the 2023 WGC vs. Dell Technologies Match Play, which no longer exists.
It’s a delicate balance. Burns plays solid golf, but he consistently proves that’s not enough.
After the close call, Xander Schauffele was bombarded with questions about whether he would change anything about his game in 2024, to which he answered no. Schauffele said it was the best he had ever played and that it would be unwise to tinker with anything. That season, his perseverance was rewarded with two major championships.
It will be interesting to see where Barnes goes from here. He’s mainly a player waiting for a major championship. Sometimes he hit the shots he needed. At times he was on the receiving end of bad breaks. Sometimes he fails to capture the moment unfolding before him.
At this point, he’s playing the best golf of his career. No questions asked.
But the same has been true for many throughout the long life of professional golf. Rickie Fowler, Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomery and Doug Saunders were also potential candidates for the major championship. And that’s just the names of a handful of notable players.
“At the end of the day, I know that no matter what happens, I can live with the consequences and move on with my life,” Burns said Saturday night. “I’m going home to visit my family. I hope I have the hardware, but if I don’t, it’s okay.”
Barnes will continue to knock on the door of golf immortality. He’s too talented and too persistent to remain a legitimate contender. However, it is never guaranteed that there will be an answer on the other side. That’s what makes weeks like this at the British Open so fleeting and rare. They are opportunities we must seize and weeks we must overcome to make history.
